City of Edwardsville Among Nation’s Safest College Towns
The City of Edwardsville, home to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is ranked among the nation’s top 15 safest college towns by Safewise in its fifth annual 2020 Safest College Towns list.
Ranked 13th nationally, Edwardsville was No. 3 in Illinois and ranked ahead of all Missouri college towns. Lisle, home to Benedictine University, was tops in Illinois and No. 7 nationally. Charleston, which houses Eastern Illinois University, came in at No. 12 overall.
“Safety is a key element when individuals make a choice of where they will study, work and live, and we are grateful to all who work diligently to protect and serve,” said SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook. “We commend the SIUE Police Department, as well as law enforcement agencies in and around Edwardsville for creating a safe environment where students can focus on learning.”
“The SIUE Police Department and the City of Edwardsville Police Department are dedicated to working together to deter crime and to provide the highest quality police service to keep our students, staff, faculty, guests and the Edwardsville Community safe,” said SIUE Police Chief Kevin Schmoll. “Being one of the safest college campuses, and one of the safest college towns in the country, clearly demonstrates our effectiveness as a team.”
Since the Daily Beast ranked SIUE among the safest college campuses in the country in 2010, SIUE has consistently been rated highly for its safe campus environment by a variety of organizations, including the National Council for Home Safety and Security. SIUE’s commitment is demonstrated by investment in safety technology, such as the Rave Guardian app, to maintain a secure campus.
SIUE police officers are academy trained and engaged in a Community Policing program. Under the SIUE Campus Violence Prevention Plan, there are more than 80 emergency phones on campus.
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